circleWe all know that we need to eat less salt to avoid high blood pressure, but that’s not the only way diet can help prevent hypertension, which affects one in three adults in the UK. Tim Spector, founder of the Zoe app and professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, was diagnosed with hypertension after a mini-stroke in his early 50s, and this week shared some of the dietary changes he’s made since then, based on the latest science.
Many of us, he explained in an Instagram post.None of us, including himself, are particularly sensitive to salt, so other dietary measures are just as important, if not more so, than cutting back on salt. These include getting more potassium, a mineral that helps remove salt from the blood, and increasing your fibre intake. “Eating 5g more fibre a day is twice as effective at lowering blood pressure as eating less salt,” says Spector. “Research shows that making small healthy changes to your diet has the potential to help control your blood pressure,” says Phil Piatt, chief executive of the charity Blood Pressure UK. Here’s what you should be eating:
Eat more bananas
Bananas are a good source of potassium
Getty Images
Just one extra gram of potassium per day (the equivalent of two medium-sized bananas) may be enough to combat high blood pressure, scientists at Imperial College London found in a five-year study. The study analyzed data from 20,995 people in China. Participants in the study, age 60 or older who had suffered a stroke or had high blood pressure, were given either their usual salt intake or a diet that replaced a quarter of the salt with potassium. The results, published this year in the Journal of Human Hypertension, showed that those who consumed a diet high in potassium had lower blood pressure by the end of the study and a 14% reduced risk of heart disease.
“Potassium does a great job of helping your body remove excess salt from your bloodstream,” says registered dietitian and author The Science of Nutrition“It’s best to get enough from food rather than supplements, and bananas are a good source.”
A variety of leafy vegetables significantly lowers blood pressure
Kale is rich in nitrates, which are good for blood pressure.
Getty Images
Leafy greens are rich in dietary fiber and blood pressure-friendly nitrates. A 23-year study of 50,000 people from Edith Cowan University in Western Australia, published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, found that people who regularly eat one serving of leafy greens a day have significantly lower blood pressure and up to 26 percent lower risk of heart disease.
“Spinach and leafy greens are also good sources of potassium,” says nutritionist Linia Patel, PhD. “For the best benefits, eat a variety of leafy greens, including spinach, kale, and arugula.”
• Can you really get your weekly intake of 30 plants in one supplement per day?
Include more tomatoes in your diet
One study found that people who ate 110 grams of tomatoes a day (a handful of cherry tomatoes or a quarter of a can of chopped tomatoes) had a 36% lower risk of developing high blood pressure than those who ate the least amount of tomatoes. The study of 7,056 participants, published in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension, found that the lycopene (the antioxidant that gives tomatoes their red color) and potassium in tomatoes provided a protective effect.
“Tomatoes contain potassium, which helps balance fluid and sodium levels in the body, and lycopene, which helps keep blood vessel walls flexible,” Patel says.
Eat yogurt every day
A study published in the International Journal of Dairy Science found that consuming one serving of yogurt a day (basically a 150g jar or a large piece) can help lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure. The researchers who carried out the study suggest that the bacteria in yogurt promotes the release of proteins that lower blood pressure. “Other nutrients found in yogurt, such as calcium, magnesium and potassium, are also important in controlling blood pressure,” says Lambert. “To reap the health benefits, make sure you choose a plain, natural yogurt that is free of sugar and unnecessary additives.”
Eat more kidney beans
While most beans have a positive effect on blood pressure, it’s dark-colored beans like red kidney beans and black beans that have the most beneficial effects on blood vessels. In a small pilot study looking at the effects of beans on cardiovascular measures, researchers at the University of Manitoba in Canada found that people who ate red kidney beans had lower blood pressure two hours after eating them compared to rice. “Canned beans have the same effect as dried beans, and you don’t have to soak them overnight,” says Patel.
An apple a day is true
Apples and pears are rich in flavonoids, antioxidant plant compounds known to help maintain healthy control of blood pressure. “Flavonoids help lower blood pressure by relaxing blood vessel walls,” says Patel. “All fruits and vegetables contain flavonoids, but apples and pears are definitely good sources.”
Pears contain flavonoids that help relax blood vessel walls.
Getty Images
These flavonoids promote gut health and have a positive effect on blood pressure, according to Professor Aiden Cassidy, a researcher in the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast. In a study of 904 people published in the journal Hypertension, Professor Cassidy found that people who consumed foods highest in flavonoids had a higher diversity of gut bacteria, which boosted the cardioprotective effects of antioxidant compounds.
Dried apricots and dates are helpful
Dried fruits such as raisins (containing 749mg of potassium per 100g), dates (656mg) and prunes (732mg) are good sources of potassium, which is known to lower blood pressure, but dried apricots have the most by weight (1,162mg). According to Blood Pressure UK, consuming 30-40g of dried fruit (about three to five pieces) can help maintain healthier blood pressure.
• Can you be healthy at 74? I went to the gym to find out
Eat beans 2-3 times a week
A diet high in legumes, such as dried peas and lentils, significantly lowers blood pressure in people with high blood pressure as well as those with normal blood pressure, according to a study of 544 people published in the journal Hypertension. Another group of people with high blood pressure improved their blood pressure control when they consumed lentils, peas, and beans three times a week, according to Nutrition. “Leguments provide heart-healthy nutrients and are rich in fiber,” says Patel. “People should aim to eat them two to three times a week.”
Eat a handful of almonds and walnuts
Researchers from the University of Nottingham contributed to a 2020 study showing that eating a few almonds each day can help lower blood pressure. Meanwhile, reporting in the journal Hypertension, a team found that people in their 60s with mild hypertension who ate a few walnuts daily had better blood pressure control compared with a control group who didn’t eat any nuts. “Eating a variety of nuts provides fiber and heart-healthy nutrients that are known to have a positive effect on blood pressure,” Lambert says.
Try beet juice
If you can stomach it, drinking 250ml of beetroot juice every day may help lower your blood pressure, according to a team of researchers from Queen Mary, University of London. Beets are a rich source of inorganic dietary nitrates (compounds that are converted in the body to nitrites and then nitric oxide, which relax and dilate blood vessels), which are known to have powerful effects on blood pressure and cardiovascular health.
Beetroot is also rich in nitrates
Getty Images
In a university study, a group of patients diagnosed with or at risk for high blood pressure were asked to drink the drink daily for four weeks. Half were given beet juice, and the other half were given an identical-looking and tasting placebo. The results, published in the journal Hypertension, showed that by the end of the study, those who drank beet juice had seen their blood pressure drop back down to the “normal” range. Two weeks after the end of the study, when they stopped drinking the beet juice, their blood pressure returned to its previous high level, indicating that nitrates need to be continued for long-term benefits.
“Eating foods high in nitrates such as beetroot, leafy greens, fennel and pumpkin can increase your intake,” Patel says. “Some people like beetroot shots because they are a concentrated source of nitrates.”
Drink 2-3 cups of black or green tea per day
Black and green tea are rich sources of flavan-3-ols, a subgroup of healthy plant compounds found in many foods that may have heart-healthy benefits, including improved blood pressure and blood flow. According to a study published in Advances in Nutrition, consuming 400-600 mg of flavan-3-ols per day (about two to four cups of tea) can provide these benefits.
